Truly global

As the church’s growth in the global South rapidly and radically reshapes the profile of world Chris tianity, separation between the major streams and families of faith is growing deeper every day. Living Chris tian traditions remain isolated from one another at a time when the demonstrated unity of Christian fellowship is necessary for a credible witness.

The reshaping of global Christianity is both confessional and geographical. Over the last 100 years, the Pentecostal movement has grown explosively, from a handful of multiracial Christians who experienced a spiritual awakening on Azusa Street in Los Angeles to 600 million Christians throughout the world. Today, one in four Christians around the globe is Pente costal. If present trends continue, by the middle of the 21st century there will be 1 billion Pentecostal Christians. In just one century, the Pentecostal movement has become a major force shaping modern Christianity.

Author

Wesley Granberg-Michaelson’s most recent book is From Times Square to Timbuktu: The Post-Christian West Meets the Non-Western Church. He served for 17 years as the general secretary of the Reformed Church in America and has been active in several ecumenical initiatives, including Christian Churches Together in the USA and the Global Christian Forum.